Safety-stirrup.



G. S. MORAN.

SAFETY STIRRUP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1912.

Patented June 17,1913.

25" nnfmll/l/ p ss SAFETY-STIRRUP.

Application filed. June 27, 1912. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17,1913.

Serial No. 706,303.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLYDE S. MORAN, a subject of the King of England, residing at Irvine, in the Province of Alberta, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Stir rups; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has special reference to stirrups and more particularly to an improved safety stirrup for use when riding an animal adapted to release the riders foot should the animal become unmanageable, fall or attempt to throw the rider.

Specifically, the invention consists of a safety stirrup in which the inner leg of the stirrup or bow has a foot plate hinged or pivoted thereto while a simple and novel locking device is provided for fastening the free end of the foot plate to the outer leg of the stirrup whereby the said plate will withstand any amount of foot pressure the rider may place on the plate in the ordinary use of the stirrup, whi e if the rider is thrown, the arch of the foot or toe of the boot of the rider will automatically release the foot plate and the foot of the rider, thus avoidinoaccidents.

Vith the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain other combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, it being a still further object to provide a device which will not be likely toget out of working order.

Figure l is a front elevation of a stirrup constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an opposite side elevation. Fig. 4: is a central vertical sectional view. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional; View on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

As illustrated, my improved stirrup embodies bow 10 adapted in any desired manner for attachment to the stirrup supporting strap of the saddle for suspendin the stirrup at the side of the animal and as lllustrated, one leg portion 11 of the bow is provided with a recess 12 centrally of its bottom edge, above which is an opening 18 which forms an intermediate cross strip 14 for pivotal attachment of a foot plate 15 thereto. This foot plate is substantially as wide as the bottom portion of the stirrup how, it being observed that the latter is enlarged toward its bottom portion while one end of the foot plate is provided with an extension 16, which is coiled around the cross strip 14 for pivotal or hinged attachment of the foot plate thereto whereby the free extremity of the plate will engage adjacent to the opposite leg 17 of the bow.

,The free end of the foot plate is provided with an extension or tongue 18, also of re duced size relative to the foot plate and which is engageable within the bottom recess 19 in the leg 17 when the said foot plate is disposed in a horizontal supporting position between the lower extremities of the legs of the bow.

The safety catch member embodies an in nor bow or a substantially inverted d-shaped frame 20 having a curvature to conform to the rear edge portion of the stirrup bow 10 and having pairs of opposed spaced and apertured cars 21 pivoted as shown at 22 through curved extensions 23 projecting from the rear edges of the leg portions of the stirrup bow so that the bight portion of the inner bow terminates below the top of the stirrup bow proper but readily and fully accommodates the riders foot during the ordinary riding action. The longer leg of the inner bow or J frame is provided wit-h an oppositely extending catch member 24L in the form of a cross bar which operates at the outer leg of the stirrup beneath the extension 23 thereof.

A pair of pivoted catches 25 are pivotally mounted at the forward edge portion and bottom of the outer leg 17 of the stirrup as shown at 26, one being disposed on each side of the leg. The inner face and bottom end of the leg 17 is reduced in width as shown at 27 to receive the inner catch, both being pivoted upon a common pin extending through the leg portion and operating cen trally across the recess 19 to support the extension 18 of the foot plate 15 in the top of the recess while the free extremities of the catches are provided with bottom recesses 28 forming reduced tongues beneath which the cross bar 24 is engaged so as to support the catches 25 in raised position at opposite sides of the leg 17 of the bow and substantially horizontally for holding the foot plate 15 in position to sustain the ordinary riding pressure or even during the swinging movement of the stirrup and also for holding the bight portion of the inner bow or J frame spaced from the head portion of the stirrup bow.

By this construction, should the rider he accidentally thrown or should the animal become unmanageable so as to necessitate dismounting with diificulty, the toe of the riders boot will strike against the connecting or bight portion of the inner bow 20 and move the same on its pivot 22 and thereby disengage the cross bar 24 from beneath the catches 25 whereby the latter will fall to the hanging or depending position and permit the extension 18 to move through the recess 19 to hang beneath the leg portion 11 of the stirrup so that it will instantaneously release the feet of the rider from the stirrup. It will thus be evident that a device constructed in accordance with the above description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, will greatly assist in preventing accident by riders being thrown from their horses and it will be evident that the parts as constructed will notin any appre- Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

In a safety stirrup, the combination with an outer bow having its leg portions-increased in width, one leg portion being provided with a bottom recess and an adjacent opening forming a cross strip, a foot piece having an extension coiled around said strip for pivoting the foot piece thereto, the bottom edge of the opposite leg forming a recess and the free extremity having an eX- tension engageable in said recess, catches pivoted upon opposite sides of the first named leg member and engageable across the last named recess to hold the footpiece in a raised position and an inner bow pivoted to the leg portions of the first named bow and constructed to engage the free 8X1 tremities of the catches and hold the latter in raised position and automatically release the same to permit the foot piece to swing to an open posit-ion by pressure against the inner bow.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CLYDE S. MORAN. Witnesses:

CHAS. R. MAYBERRY, LESLIE A. CooLEY.

Copies.of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

